1996–97 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season
| 1996–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Chris Wright |
| Manager | Ray Wilkins (until September) Stewart Houston (from September) |
| Stadium | Loftus Road |
| First Division | 9th |
| FA Cup | Fifth round |
| League Cup | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | League: John Spencer (17) All: John Spencer (18) |
| Highest home attendance | 17,376 (vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 31 March) |
| Lowest home attendance | 7,354 (vs. Stoke City, 2 November) |
| Average home league attendance | 12,554 |
During the 1996–97 English football season, Queens Park Rangers competed in the Football League First Division.
Season summary
In August 1996, media tycoon Chris Wright, a QPR fan for 20 years, bought the club and also stated his plans for London Wasps to distribute the stadium.
Wright later suggested forming a new Loftus Road plc, including both QPR and London Wasps, on the Alternative Investment Market. A month later, Ray Wilkins left the club by mutual consent after a board meeting when he wanted money in an attempt to sign 34-year-old Ghana skipper Abedi Pele as well as being pushed to retire from his playing career.[1] Ex-Arsenal caretaker manager Stewart Houston took over the reins with former Arsenal manager Bruce Rioch as his assistant.
Houston's first signing for QPR broke the club's previous transfer record when Scottish international striker John Spencer was signed from Chelsea for £2.35 million in November 1996.[2] A month later, his ex-Chelsea teammate and former QPR player Gavin Peacock rejoined the club for a second spell. Northern Ireland international Steve Morrow also joined from Arsenal.
Ultimately, QPR's poor home form during the season cost them a chance of a play-off place and they finished 9th, five points outside the play-off places.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Portsmouth | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 68 |
| 8 | Port Vale | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 67 |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 60 | +4 | 66 |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 52 | 48 | +4 | 66 |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 63 | 56 | +7 | 65 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
Results
Queens Park Rangers' score comes first
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League First Division
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1996 | Oxford United | H | 2–1 | 14,703 | Gallen, Dichio |
| 23 August 1996 | Portsmouth | A | 2–1 | 7,501 | Gallen (2) |
| 28 August 1996 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 25,767 | Dichio |
| 1 September 1996 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 11,225 | McDonald |
| 7 September 1996 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0–2 | 12,886 | |
| 11 September 1996 | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | 14,000 | Impey |
| 14 September 1996 | Barnsley | A | 3–1 | 13,003 | Barker, Perry, Dichio |
| 21 September 1996 | Swindon Town | H | 1–1 | 13,662 | Murray |
| 28 September 1996 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 | 17,430 | |
| 2 October 1996 | Port Vale | H | 1–2 | 8,727 | Barker |
| 5 October 1996 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–2 | 5,472 | |
| 12 October 1996 | Manchester City | H | 2–2 | 16,265 | Sinclair, Murray |
| 16 October 1996 | Bradford City | H | 1–0 | 7,776 | Brazier |
| 20 October 1996 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 3–2 | 7,025 | Slade, McDonald, Charles |
| 26 October 1996 | Sheffield United | A | 1–1 | 17,096 | Slade |
| 30 October 1996 | Ipswich Town | H | 0–1 | 10,562 | |
| 2 November 1996 | Stoke City | H | 1–1 | 7,354 | Sinclair |
| 10 November 1996 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–3 | 15,324 | |
| 16 November 1996 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–2 | 12,360 | Sinclair |
| 23 November 1996 | Reading | A | 1–2 | 12,847 | Spencer |
| 30 November 1996 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | 11,891 | Barker (pen) |
| 7 December 1996 | Oldham Athletic | A | 2–0 | 5,590 | Peacock, Spencer |
| 14 December 1996 | Southend United | H | 4–0 | 11,117 | Barker (pen), Harris (own goal), Spencer, Peacock |
| 21 December 1996 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–1 | 10,718 | Dichio, Brazier |
| 26 December 1996 | Norwich City | H | 3–2 | 15,699 | Peacock, Dichio, McDermott |
| 28 December 1996 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–4 | 19,061 | Spencer |
| 11 January 1997 | Barnsley | H | 3–1 | 12,058 | Spencer (3) |
| 19 January 1997 | Port Vale | A | 4–4 | 5,736 | Holwyn (own goal), Impey, Murray, Spencer |
| 29 January 1997 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | 12,138 | Spencer |
| 1 February 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–1 | 16,467 | |
| 5 February 1997 | Swindon Town | A | 1–1 | 10,830 | Hateley |
| 8 February 1997 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | 12,983 | |
| 22 February 1997 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | 13,121 | |
| 1 March 1997 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 10,180 | |
| 4 March 1997 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–2 | 10,610 | Dichio |
| 8 March 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–0 | 9,789 | McDermott, Spencer |
| 12 March 1997 | Reading | H | 0–2 | 10,316 | |
| 15 March 1997 | Southend United | A | 1–0 | 6,747 | Roget (own goal) |
| 22 March 1997 | Portsmouth | H | 2–1 | 15,746 | Murray, Spencer |
| 29 March 1997 | Oxford United | A | 3–2 | 8,365 | Yates, Spencer, Peacock |
| 31 March 1997 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 17,376 | Spencer, Peacock |
| 5 April 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 19,198 | Morrow |
| 12 April 1997 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–0 | 10,765 | Spencer, Murray, Slade |
| 19 April 1997 | Manchester City | A | 3–0 | 27,580 | Spencer (2), Slade |
| 26 April 1997 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–0 | 14,859 | Dichio, Spencer |
| 4 May 1997 | Bradford City | A | 0–3 | 14,723 |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 4 January 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–1 | 11,776 | Hateley |
| R3R | 14 January 1997 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–1 | 11,814 | Peacock, McDonald |
| R4 | 25 January 1997 | Barnsley | H | 3–2 | 14,317 | Peacock, Spencer, Sinclair |
| R5 | 15 February 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 1–2 | 22,395 | Hateley |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 First Leg | 18 September 1996 | Swindon Town | A | 2–1 | 7,843 | Dichio, Impey |
| R2 Second Leg | 25 September 1996 | Swindon Town | H | 1–3 (lost 3–4 on agg) | 6,976 | Brazier |
Players
First-team squad
- Squad at end of season[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
- ^ Stenson, Tony (5 September 1996). "Game over for Wilkins". The Mirror. Retrieved 14 October 2011 – via The Free Library.
- ^ Irwin, Mark (22 November 1996). "Spencer in £2.5m move from Chelsea to QPR". The Mirror. Retrieved 14 October 2011 – via The Free Library.
- ^ "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ http://www.11v11.com/teams/queens-park-rangers/tab/players/season/1997
Notes
- ^ Maddix was born in Ashford, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and would make his international debut for Jamaica in 1998.
- ^ Quashie was born in Southwark, England, and represented them at U-21 and B level, but also qualified to represent Ghana internationally through his father and Scotland through his grandfather and would make his international debut for Scotland in May 2004.